1. Thomas Nagel, “Death” (1979)
PHIL 102, January 2018, UBC
Christina Hendricks
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2. If there is nothing after death, is death still a bad thing for the person who dies?
Isn’t it obvious that it is? Why even ask the question?
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3. Epicurus’ view
Death can only be bad for a person if they can experience it as bad.
Nagel disagrees
BAD for that person
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4. Reading philosophy articles
Skim or read whole article (or part of a text) and find overall point (conclusion / thesis statement)
Look for premises: reasons supporting thesis
Outline the argument
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thenounproject.com

5. Structure of Nagel’s article
Intro to the overall question (p. 1)
Specific ways he’ll address it (pp. 2-3)
Hypothesis (top of p. 4): death is bad b/c it’s a loss of something good (life)
Objections to the hypothesis (4), & responses to those (pp. 4-8)
Last question: is it death always bad for a person (e.g., even when live to natural end of human life)?

6. Nagel’s argument
Conclusion: Death is bad for the person who dies, because it’s a loss of something good (life)
Outline of this argument on document camera
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7. One of the objections he replies to
Obj: How can we assign a ”loss” of life to a person who is dead? Who is it that “loses”? (4) Reply: “what happens to [a person] can include much that does not take place within the boundaries of his life” (6)
After death:
Broken deathbed promise
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8. Another reply to that objection
We can think of persons as extended in time: a combination of their history, their present state, and their future possibilities
Including the possibilities they could have had if hadn’t died when they did
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9. Another objection
Obj: If death is bad for the person who dies, then why isn’t the time before birth also bad for him/her? (7)
Person A
Born at
Time 1
Reply: If born earlier, wouldn’t be the same person, so couldn’t be bad for him/her. (8)
Born at Time 2
Can’t be Person A
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10. Last question in the article
Must we take the loss of life as always a bad thing, because a loss of future possibilities, since we are naturally mortal? Reply: From perspective within our lives, it would be good to have more, even if we recognize (from outside) that we can’t; so loss is still bad to us. …
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11. Summary & link to Epicurus
Death is bad for the person who dies b/c it’s a loss to that person of future possibilities of a good thing (life).
Is bad for that person
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12. Comments & questions on Nagel